Toasting to a Brighter Future
by svgurl410
Summary: oneshot; future fic- Clark and Lois spend New Year's Eve with the rest of the Justice League. Clark/Lois


This is a Clois fic I wrote for the Christmas Exchange over at Divine Intervention (Clois board). I hope you all enjoy it. Please let me know what you think! Concrit is welcome, but flames (especially anonymous ones) are not. :)

**Title:** Toasting to a Brighter Future  
**Fandom:** Smallville  
**Pairing/Characters:** Clark/Lois  
**Word Count:** 2468  
**Rating:** PG  
**Warnings/Spoilers:** none/all episodes  
**Disclaimer:** don't own anything; all characters belong to the CW/DC Comics  
**Summary:** future fic; Clark and Lois spend New Year's Eve with the Justice League.  
**Author's Notes:** for starrydreamer from the DI's Christmas Fanfic Stravaganza 2010; thank you to the amazing ladygawain for betaing!

* * *

"Good riddance to 2011."

Clark stopped fixing his tie and looked up to see his fiancée strolling into their bedroom, with a smirk on her face.

"Was it really that bad?" Clark teased.

Lois shrugged. "It wasn't exactly pleasant. I mean, the first half was hell, and the second half was spent recovering. I, for one, am looking forward toward a brighter future."

"Well, let's hope 2012 treats us all better," he remarked.

"Amen," Lois agreed, nodding.

No matter how much he teased her, he knew that she was right. It had been a rough year for everyone, but especially for Clark and Lois. Not that he expected things to go smoothly for them, considering who they were and the anti-hero atmosphere, but he never thought life would take such a difficult turn.

After Carter's death, everything spiraled out of control. They were all knocked unconscious by an unknown substance at his funeral, leading to the Justice League being split up. Clark had been experimented on and temporarily lost his abilities, Oliver was thrown in a mental institution and Lois was locked up.

They managed to fight the darkness in the end, and come out of it stronger and better. The members not caught returned and helped them regain control, not only of themselves but they also removed the hold the darkness had on the population at whole, allowing individuals to regain the control they didn't even know they lost. Clark even got his abilities back. Once reunited and safe, they vowed not to separate again. Together they would stand.

Apparently, he had learned whatever lessons he was supposed to because Jor-El released the costume that Martha made for him. It didn't take long for him to switch uniforms then.

Clark also realized that the world needed a superhero that stood out in the light, came out of the shadows with nothing to hide. The way Oliver had done it was wrong; Clark had learned that lesson way back when he dealt with Linda Lake.

J'onn found a way to reverse Oliver's confession so nobody, other than the League and Lois, knew that he was the Green Arrow. How the manhunter did it, Clark didn't ask, none of them did. But even Oliver had come to the realization that as a superhero, a double life was necessary. They all needed privacy, a space of their own where the public couldn't snoop, that allowed them to be regular citizens and stay grounded in that reality.

Yet Clark knew that he couldn't go back to hiding in the shadows either. So he came out … as Superman. Lois came up with the name, claiming she had been inspired by a prior conversation with Carter when they had been in Africa, and insisted that he would've approved. While Clark himself hadn't initially been gung-ho about it, it grew on him. It certainly was a hit with the public. As Superman, he was decked in red and blue with a bit of yellow and the public embraced him. As Clark, he donned a pair of glasses and nobody was able to tell the difference.

The rest of the team followed him by stepping out of the shadows and developing public superhero names/identities of their own. The newly dubbed Justice League was no more an enemy the public but heroes. Sure, there were still doubters and naysayers but they were in the minority.

"Smallvilleeeee …" Lois's singsong voice snapped him out of his thoughts and back to reality. Blinking a few times, he stared at her.

"Yeah?"

"You weren't listening to me," she chided playfully.

"Sorry, I got lost in my thoughts," he apologized.

"I could see that," she replied, chuckling. "What were you thinking about?"

"Just this past year," he answered. "How everything turned out okay." Meeting her eyes, he added, "It could've been worse, I guess." The 'what ifs' flashed through his mind, the biggest fear being losing the beautiful woman standing in front of him.

Closing the distance between them, Lois embraced him, realizing that he needed it. "I'm here," she said softly. "We're both here … we made it."

"Yes, we made it," he acknowledged. For now, they were fine and that was all that mattered. He leaned forward and captured her willing lips in a kiss, Lois responding immediately. Pulling away after a moment, Clark beamed.

He took the time to really _look _at Lois; his mouth went dry at the sight. Too caught up in his own mind, he hadn't really seen her. But he was certainly looking now. Dressed in a sexy strapless black dress that fell right below her knees and hugged her curves, her hair curly and loose, completed with a pair of black stilettos accenting her long legs, she looked as gorgeous as always. _How is she mine? _Sometimes, the idea that this amazing woman fell for _him _boggled his mind.

"Like what you see?" Lois asked, smiling smugly, noticing where he was looking.

"I always do," Clark replied. "But really … you look … you look beautiful."

"Thanks," her cheeks flushed pink; another thing that surprised him: he had the power to make Lois Lane blush. She looked him up and down and he felt himself standing up straighter under her inspection. "You clean up pretty well yourself." He made a move toward her but she held up a hand and looked pointedly at the clock on the nightstand, and said, "We should probably head out. Everyone will be waiting for us."

"Yeah, you're right." Clark said.

It was New Year's Eve and they were spending it with the rest of the League over at Ollie's penthouse. It was cold outside, so Clark decided to drive even though it'd be faster if they flew. He didn't want to risk Lois' health, no matter what she said. The drive didn't take long, though they did hit a bit of traffic on the way. Thankfully, they wouldn't have to drive back until the morning, Oliver having insisted they stay with him overnight.

Clark and Lois weren't the first ones to arrive, nor were they the last. Victor, AC, Mera and Bart, who was already helping himself to the food, were there, but the majority had yet to arrive. Taking a minute to admire his surroundings, Clark had to admit that he was impressed with the way the room was decorated.

All the furniture was gone, replaced by small round tables, covered with white tablecloths that had silver and gold confetti spread on the top. Balloons and streamers were everywhere, with a large banner that said 'Happy New Year'. A large table was against one of the walls, filled with food. It looked ready for a celebration yet classy at the same time.

"About time you all showed up," Oliver greeted them. "I take it that you didn't arrive via Superman Express?"

"Happy New Year to you too, Oliver," Lois snarked. "And no, Clark vetoed the idea."

"Sounds like Clark," Oliver stated, shooting a cheeky smile at him.

"Yeah, yeah, just gang up on me, why don't you?" Clark sighed.

"Ollie knows to take my side on things," Lois said triumphantly.

"No offense, Boyscout, but powers or not, I'm much more scared of her than you," Oliver stage whispered, causing Lois to smack him playfully.

"The place looks great," Clark commented, quickly changing the topic.

"Yeah, I had nothing to do with it," Oliver confessed, laughing. "You can credit Dinah, Chloe, and Victor."

"Victor?" Lois repeated, visibly surprised. Clark was taken aback too.

"Yeah, apparently the can opener has some decorating skills," Oliver replied. "Who knew?"

"Well," a new voice interrupted. "Anything had to be better than what you can do. Otherwise, this whole place would be one color." Clark and Lois grinned when they saw Chloe make her way to Ollie's side. She quickly exchanged hugs with both Lois and Clark.

The entire team being put in danger also dragged Chloe back and she ended up staying. Neither Clark nor Lois had any problems with that, especially Lois, who had missed her cousin terribly.

"Hey now, green is a Christmas color!" Oliver protested. Chloe simply rolled her eyes and sipped her drink.

"Is that eggnog?" Lois asked, eyeing her cup hopefully.

"Yeah, it's over there," Chloe told her, pointing to the buffet table.

"I want some of that," Lois decided. Linking arms with Chloe, she threw a, "I'll be back shortly," toward the guys and dragged her cousin back toward the food and drinks.

Clark just stared as his fiancée chatted happily with her cousin. Turning his gaze back toward Ollie, he just smiled, as if saying 'what can you do'. Ollie laughed. He knew Lois well, and when it came to good food, it was just best not to get in her way. If he was honest, he hoped Lois wouldn't change, because he loved her just the way she was.

Over at the buffet table, Lois was piling up on all the goodies. "Where did all this food come from?"

"Ollie had it catered," Chloe informed her.

Taking a bite out of a mini egg roll, Lois nodded appreciatively. "He sure knows his food."

At that, Chloe giggled. "Can't argue with that."

More people trickled in. The group was mixing quite nicely, chatting amongst themselves, enjoying good food and conversation.

"So, Lois, you and Clark make any wedding plans yet?" Zatanna asked curiously. The two women had come to an understanding. Lois had been irritated when she found out the sultry brunette who had kissed her boyfriend was part of the team, but eventually she'd forgiven her, especially after Zatanna sent them a very … _special, _magical engagement gift that Clark and Lois had enjoyed immensely.

"Not yet," Lois admitted. "We haven't really had the time." Instinctively, she threw a glance over her shoulder, finding Clark chatting with Bart on the other side of the room.

As if he could feel himself being watched, he looked up, green eyes meeting hazel. His smile immediately widened and her heart skipped a beat. _I'm a lucky woman. _It was true. Somehow, Clark Kent was all hers and damn it, she was never letting go.

Hearing sounds of laughter, she turned toward the sound, and barely managed to refrain from blushing as she saw the looks on the faces of the women around her.

"You two are nauseating, you know that, right?" Tess said, eyebrow raised.

"Oh, leave them alone," Courtney interrupted. "I think they're cute."

"That they are," Chloe chipped in. "I think even at 70, they'll probably be flirting in some old folk's home."

"Whatever, you're all just jealous," Lois retorted.

"Jealous of what?" All the women froze. Lois was the first to regain her composure when she saw that it was just Clark, making his way to her side.

"Smallville!" she chided. "How is it that you move so quietly?"

"Sorry?" Clark offered, not looking the least bit apologetic. His arm slid around her waist and he gave her a big smile. Leaning into his embrace, she sighed happily. Feeling his eyes on her, she met his gaze.

"What?"

"Nothing," Clark responded. "I was just thinking … we've come a long way. You wouldn't even let me hold your hand in public a year ago …"

"I guess I'm getting better at this PDA stuff," Lois countered.

"I guess we're both getting better at a lot of stuff," Clark murmured. In that moment, she was lost in his eyes. The whole world could've disappeared and Lois wouldn't have noticed. _What this man does to me, I don't even know. _But she didn't mind. Nope, she didn't mind at all.

"See?" Chloe interjected, breaking the spell, "Am I right or am I right?" Tess and Courtney laughed while Clark's expression changed to one of confusion.

"Do I even want to know?" Clark asked.

Glancing at him, she shook her head. "Trust me, you're better off." He grinned at her.

"I'll take your word on it," he joked. Nodding at the rest of them, he questioned, "How're you all doing?"

"Good," Tess said.

"We were just asking Lois if you guys had talked about the wedding yet," Courtney added.

"I told them that we hadn't really had much time to discuss the wedding," Lois explained.

"Well, I'm sure we'll get on that soon," Clark stated.

"Oh we will, will we?" Lois asked playfully.

"More like you will decide and I will follow your lead," Clark amended.

"I was thinking we could get married in Smallville," Lois said, keeping her voice as casual as she could. "You know, the church there …"

"Where my parents got married?" Clark finished quietly.

"Yeah," Lois confirmed. "Okay with you?"

"That's more than okay," Clark said. If possible, his smile grew even wider. "But I don't want you to feel pressured …"

"I never feel pressured," Lois interrupted. "If I do something, it's because I want to. Smallville has been the first real home I've ever had … and your parents were wonderful to me from the start. How can I not want to get married there?"

"Your wish is my command," Clark said, beaming.

She smirked. "I can work with that." Forgetting their surroundings for a moment, they shared a gentle kiss.

A chorus of "awww's" broke them apart, both Lois and Clark blushing at the expressions on their friends' faces.

"All right, if the cute couple is done, I think there is about 10 minutes till midnight and we should all get prepared," Oliver announced, getting everyone's attention.

A murmur of agreement was the response he got, as everyone began to get ready for the clock striking midnight.

Oliver poured the champagne into glasses while Chloe and Lois helped hand them out. Clark set up the cake while Bart found the remote to find a channel showing the ball dropping.

Champagne in hand, they all watched. At the 30-second mark, they all began to countdown along with the people on television.

Clark found his way back to Lois's side, just as they were counting down the final 10 seconds.

"10!" the group yelled, "9 … 8 … 7 … 6 … 5 … 4 … 3 … 2 … 1 … Happy New Year!"

"Happy New Year," Lois told Clark.

"Happy New Year to you too," Clark replied, leaning down to kiss her. They kept it short and sweet.

Pulling away, they twirled their hands so they were sipping out of each other's glass.

"To a better year," Lois toasted.

"As long as I'm with you, it'll always be a good year," Clark insisted.

"Well, you're in luck then, because I'm in it for the long run," Lois promised.

They exchanged smiles. Though they didn't know what they upcoming year would bring, they'd face it … together.


End file.
